By José Gandue @Gandour
2018 has been a good year for Latin American independent music. It has been twelve months of delight for those who have had time to delve into digital archives and discover that, behind the exaggerated campaigns of very popular artists with little quality content, there were hundreds of good productions that have been rescued, with very limited budgets, the good value of contemporary sounds from the continent.
However, the way in which the increasingly ubiquitous digital platforms operate has established the feeling that what matters is the release of the single, the track, of a single song that tries to dominate the fan's ear for a few days before being displaced by the next release, presented a few days later, without needing to create a coherent narrative between them. The purpose is to maintain a constant connection with the listener's memory through a series of snippets that may (or may not) resonate strongly enough to forge the bond that sustains popularity. But that, even so, doesn't diminish the beauty of the album's original concept, the compilation of recordings under a single cover., recorded perhaps during the same period and managing to reflect a coherent idea among its elements. Some experts claim that the times of extensive productions in the style of classics like Exile on Main Street from The Rolling Stones, London Calling from The Clash, Dynamo of Soda Stereo or Re Café Tacvba's songs will soon be mere memories, and the competition will be based on overly individual hits that, in the case of each artist, we will only see being presented together in concerts.
While that happens, and hopefully it will be later rather than sooner, At Zonagirante.com, we have undertaken the task of selecting the albums that have most caught our attention during 2018., A task that is never easy given the overwhelming amount of material the continent leaves us with each year. On this occasion, we have chosen 8 pieces that were presented atFrom Mexico, Chile, Argentina, Peru and Colombia, with content related to pop, electronica and rock. One of them, since its release, we have considered a masterpiece, an unquestionable piece worthy of being remembered for a long time by fans of the best Latin American music. Alongside it, to complete our selection, we review seven beautiful gems that shine brilliantly, confirming our suspicions about the progress that the sound arts have made this year in this part of the world. Let us then begin to list and justify our decision to our readers.
The seven jewels are as follows:
I'm not a robot – NS1R:
Eight songs recorded live for a project that remained shrouded in secrecy until its debut at a major festival outside Bogotá earlier this year. This band, comprised of members from renowned groups such as Superlitio, Revólver Plateado, M. Periné, and Seis Peatones, It has managed to naturally recover the acidity of seventies rock and add, as its own element, local sound elements, without falling into folklore. Perhaps its promotional timidity prevents it from being a more recognized piece, but if you have twenty-five minutes of your life to satisfy your desire to confront intense textures of finely constructed guitar distortion, this is the album you should turn to.
The Siberians – Something of yours
If we were to name the twenty, thirty, fifty most rockin' cities on the continent, I'm sure very few would include Santa Rosa, in the Argentine province of La Pampa, on the list. Well, that's where one of the most pleasant surprises of this year comes from. This band, brimming with classic rock references skillfully adapted to our times and featuring ironic and intelligent lyrics, presents a 10-song album that unfolds with a calm yet exhilarating pace, each track capable of making an impact on any radio station in the hemisphere with discerning programming. Impeccable sound and a thoroughly enjoyable result, worthy of repeated listens.
I Want Club – Golden Opportunity
This is an album that has been carefully crafted by this Mexican trio, who have been adding songs since last year that have resonated deeply with audiences addicted to the current electronic pop scene. Each track on this album has the potential to be an instant hit on the genre's charts, but, contrary to what one might expect, every tune on this compilation has been constructed with elegant intention, featuring unusual sonic textures that strive to distinguish between genius and mere plausibility. Hailing from Monterrey but based in the capital, Quiero Club returns to our list of favorites thanks to their balanced approach, balancing their efforts to appeal to the masses with their commitment to evoking future generations.
Blue Velvet – In the event of a Moon disaster
Gentle yet dark noise, surely intended for discerning audiences seeking the constant renewal of their resonant repertoires. From Lima comes the work of this pair of synthwave enthusiasts who, inspired by the most alternative sounds of the 1980s, have crafted an album with sensitive content, which we recommend initially listening to alone, through the intimacy of your headphones. This way they will surely have the opportunity to identify more personally with the sounds presented and with the details of the delicate production. If you like it, we suggest you share it publicly, at high volume, so that your friends and family can be captivated by this exquisite production.
Tani – Mew
Made in the privacy of home, like the homemade cookies we love so much. A record of barely 22 minutes that contains all the charm and warmth needed to heal us from a bad day. Put that way, it might sound like we're dealing with a cheesy piece of work, but the truth is that every now and then we need a millennial girl with a sweet voice to sing to us, accompanied by her piano and a few additional instrumental elements., about what love means to her in times of harmful immediacy and the sensations that are taken for granted like popcorn. In short, we must give time to the unexpected displays of sensitivity in such harsh circumstances as those we are experiencing.
Theremyn 4 – Lost Moments
José Gallo, a distinguished Peruvian musician who has spent years exploring the sounds and sounds of electronic instruments, has returned, in his own way, to reinvent new wave. His project, Theremyn 4, has found a way to reposition itself within the sonic intentions of the 1980s and has managed to give it a new presence in accordance with the demands of the contemporary public. This is an album that wasn't made to conquer the masses, but as it has been heard in specialized media, it has been appreciated by expert chroniclers as a resounding jewel made with enough maturity to overcome temporary labels obtained by trendy products and establish itself as a record that will surely transcend, if it receives enough attention from fans, in the annals of electronic music on the continent.
1280 souls – Marteko Euriak
A legendary band, as its career progresses, must reaffirm the very essence of its roots. To achieve this, this Bogotá-based group traveled to the Basque Country to rediscover its roots and meticulously record new songs, thus returning to the stage and proving that they still have plenty of life left in them and that, for the moment, they are far from retiring or, worse yet, simply living off their classic hits recorded many years ago. Theirs is raw punk that doesn't abandon the sensitivity and good lyrics of always., which allows them, with ease, to propose anthems for new generations.
And well, What is the masterpiece we talked so much about at the beginning of the article? It is, of course:
Blond – Fish
We've said it countless times: Fran Straube is (and should be) the perfect candidate to be the musical icon of this era of modern Latin American music. We don't think we're exaggerating when we say that this Chilean artist has more than enough artistic merit to be recognized as one of the great treasures of our continent's independent sound. His work is advanced and at the same time undoubtedly falls into the pop product category, insofar as it has every chance of reaching the ears of the majority and captivating them. If we are forced to define this album with concrete words, with strong adjectives, we must say that Fish It is, at its best, a beautiful, elegant, revolutionary album. It is pure ecstasy for our ears. It may seem excessive, but we call this work a masterpiece because it possesses enough creative brilliance to be considered not only the best album of the year in this part of the world but, beyond that, perhaps one of the most outstanding albums globally in 2018.
